Cinderella Is Dead(87)

To my wonderful team at Bloomsbury—Mary Kate Castellani, Erica Barmash, Anna Bernard, Lily Yengle—thank you for all your hard work. I don’t take any of this for granted, I’m so incredibly thankful to everyone at Bloomsbury for this opportunity. Mary Kate, you have made this entire experience a dream come true. Thank you for your insight, your unfailing encouragement, and for taking a chance on me and on Cinderella. You have made this story what it is and I am forever grateful.

To my family—my amazing partner, Mike, thank you for supporting me. You never doubted me, even when I doubted myself. I love you with my whole heart. To my babies—Amya, Nylah, Elijah, and Lyla—I see you in the worlds and characters I create, it’s why I love them so. You are, and will always be, my greatest inspiration. To my brother, Spencer, thank you for always being there for me, for encouraging me, and for listening to me go on and on about this book. I love you! To my dad, Errol Brown—I miss you every second of every day. You taught me to be proud of who I am and where I come from, and that if I have a dream, I should go for it no matter how impossible it might seem. I went for it, Dad. I hope you’re proud of me.

To my BFF Sherrida—your friendship over the years has never wavered. No matter the distance, you’re always in my heart. I love you, boo! Thanks for always being there.

To the booksellers who got to read early copies of Cinderella—I want yall to know that I printed out the wonderful things you said and put them up on my wall. On days when writing is hard, when I feel like I should just throw in the towel and move to a cabin in the woods, your kind words encourage me and make me want to keep pushin’. Your support is invaluable. Thank you.

And finally, to anyone and everyone who picks up Cinderella Is Dead, I want you to know how much it means to me that you would give your time to this story. I wrote it for you, for us. Be a light in the dark.